Skin tone nGen_FLEX

In September 2016 we launched nGen_FLEX during the TCT Show in Birmingham. This new semi-flexible 3D printing filament was very well received (see the initial reactions here). At the show we showed the use in the field of prosthetics and we also hinted at skin tone colors that were under development.

Design: Fingers: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:387072/#files
Hand and mount: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:380665

Today we announce the availability of nGen_FLEX in five (5!) skin tone colors. These colors were chosen and developed together with several NGOs who are active in East Africa and the Middle East and with the goal to be able to meet local sensitivities in terms of printing prosthetics.

The colors are available are:

  • PANTONE 5Y08 SP – LIGHT BEIGE
  • PANTONE 2Y10 SP – MEDIUM BEIGE
  • PANTONE 4R15 SP – LIGHT BROWN
  • PANTONE 3R14 SP – MEDIUM BROWN
  • PANTONE 1R15 SP – DARK BROWN

We based the colors on the Pantone color chart. Although very close to the Pantone references, these are not exact matches.

These spools are currently only available in our webshop and in limited quantities only.

nGen_FLEX was released in September 2016 at the TCT Show and is our first semi-flexible material. With a Shore A hardness of 95 it is a material that is ideally suited for functional parts. It is not soft and squishy like other flexible materials in the market, but allows for fast printing and printing on 3D printers using a Bowden tube. It is made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer FL6000.

nGen_FLEX is a material for users looking for an engineering grade flexible filament with a high temperature resistance (over 120 degrees C) and good chemical resistance. This makes it a very suitable material for prosthetics as shown on the pictures.

PANTONE 5Y08 SP – LIGHT BEIGE

PANTONE 2Y10 SP – MEDIUM BEIGE

PANTONE 4R15 SP – LIGHT BROWN

PANTONE 3R14 SP – MEDIUM BROWN

PANTONE 1R15 SP – DARK BROWN

Valve

Eearlier this week we printed a head storage for the Stacker 3D printer with XT-CF20. Aside from its stiffness due to 20% of added carbon fibres, the matte finishing of the print is one of the reasons why customers choose this product. It is a terrific filament for visual prototyping as well, if the print needs a tough and industrial look. Like today’s solenoid valve for water and gas:

Design: https://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/123/472/=172c6i1

This print was made for visual prototyping only, but it shows what can be done with 3D printing to showcase a model. This print is based on CAD files from McMaster-Carr Supply Company part 2660K12.

It was printed on the Ultimaker 2+ in our very own printlab in 3 seperate parts and glued together for a HQ visual representation. Due to the abrasive nature of XT-CF20, we printed with the brand new Olsson Ruby nozzle, provided to us by its manufacturer and very own distributor for the Nordic Region: 3DVerkstan.

The print was made with a 0,1mm layer height. For the nozzle we chose the Olsson Ruby nozzle 2,85mm version. The ruby nozzle retains the excellent heat conducting properties of brass, while being extremely resistant to wear. This means that you can print your standard materials as usual, but also very abrasive materials such XT-CF20, but also our steelFill.

The Olsson Ruby is a high-tech nozzle with a carefully designed ruby tip, which makes it have unique properties. The ruby nozzle is designed by Anders Olsson, inventor of the popular Olsson Block that is also part of the Ultimaker 2+ 3D Printers.

This nozzle was generously supplied to us by 3DVerkstan, our distributor and partner in the Nordic regiona and manufacturer of the Olsson Ruby Nozzle. For more information about the nozzle, contact 3DVerkstan: info@3dverkstan.se

XT-CF20 is our first Amphora based special filament, launched nearly two years ago, made with colorFabb_XT and 20% carbon fibres. More information can be found here. XT-CF20 has received some really good reviews on our website. It may not be the easiest filament to print with, but the results can be stunning. The functionality, stiffness and the matte finish are true selling points of this material.

XT-CF20 is available online.

 

Update from our intern

A few weeks ago we introduced our new intern, Niels van Valburg. You can read the previous post here.

Below is the progress on his project he is working on at colorFabb:

 

Hey there!

So last time I explained a bit about what my project is going to be about. For those of you who have not yet read the previous post, I am doing my Bachelor Thesis project for Industrial Product Design at colorFabb. The idea is to print a chair with nGen_FLEX where the material properties are used to an advantage.

So to give an update on how it is going so far. I started researching how I could use metamaterials to make functional parts without having to assemble them. Metamaterials are materials that are engineered in such a way, that they have properties that they normally would not have. A good example are the colorFabb Pliers!

So I have experimented with different designs, and came up with a solution on how to apply it in my concept so far. In the sketches you can see the result.

Some of the test prints made during this study:

So now the real engineering and printing can begin. I still have to figure out how to connect all the parts of the chair together, but I already have some ideas on how it might work.

So until next time!

Niels

Niels is doing a lot of research with nGen_FLEX.

About nGen-FLEX

nGen_FLEX was developed with Eastman chemical company. Based on their work with co-polyesters nGen_FLEX makes a very compatible material with other Amphora grade materials.

With just the right amount of flex, nGen_FLEX is best described as a semi flexible material. Still capable of being fed through a Bowden tube and printed at regular PLA speeds.

Fast printing
nGen_FLEX is engineered as a semi-flexible materials which allows most users to print at regular print speeds, cutting down build times compared to other very flexible filaments. Also bowden style 3D printers, 1.75mm and 2.85mm, will be able to push this filament through without much trouble.

Temperature resistance
nGen_FLEX is temperature resistant to about 125C. That means 3D printed objects can be steam sterilized at 121C.

Flexible and tough
Printed in single perimeters and without infill or very little objects will feel quite flexible, but printed with multiple perimeters and more infill objects will be very firm and tough. The material is rated at a shore hardness of 95A.

Handy links

Tiny Hellboy

Before the start of the weekend we printed big. Today, right after the weekend, we go small. We ususally use our colorFabb_HT for technical parts that need excellent functional performance. For the mini Hellboy we went very small to achieve a highly detailed print… without any visible layers:

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:374298

The design is the Hellboy Resculpted by Geoff W. / Hex3D (you can visit his site here). The original design by Raphael Gatt aka Masterclip can be found here.

We printed with colorFabb_HT at 0.06mm layerheight on the Ultimaker 2+ with a 0.25mm nozzle.

colorFabb_HT is made with Eastman Amphora™ HT5300 and is a low-odor and styrene-free material uniquely suited for advanced 3D printing users, particularly those who need their models to exhibit excellent durability, toughness and high temperature resistance with a Tg of over 100⁰C. colorFabb_HT empowers professional users to create more durable and useful items, making prototyping truly functional. This opens up new areas in which 3D printed applications can be successfully applied.

colorFabb_HT is uniquely suited for advanced 3D printing users, particular those who need their creations to exhibit excellent durability, toughness and temperature resistance. You can find more information on our dedicated landing page.

Aside from its functionality in practical prints, colorFabb_HT Clear also allows to print near transparent prints. Another feature, as today’s post shows, is the ability to print with extreme detail.

 

Another small model we made is the Impeller Housing by Nick Burns a.k.a. PolyVinalDistillate. Again it shows the details and no visible layers that can be achieved:


Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:229657

You can find out more on how to print with colorFabb_HT in our handy tutorial: How To print with colorFabb_HT

colorFabb_HT is available in five varieties: clear, black, white, dark gray and light gray. It is available in our webshop and through our distributors and resellers worldwide.

Hyper Soccer Ball

The print we feature today is the Hyper Soccer Ball, designed by Jose Almeida a.k.a. Dalpek.

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:638568

Dalpek created this design by joining three truncated icosahedrons by their vertices.

We printed this complex print of a soccer ball with nGen on the Lulzbot TAZ 6 at a 0.2mm layer height. We did not use any support for this print and the print as you see it, is as it came from the printer.

We recently added the Lulzbot TAZ 6 to our collection of printers in our print lab. The LulzBot TAZ 6 is an extremely reliable, easy-to-use desktop 3D printer ever, featuring innovative self-leveling and self-cleaning, and a modular tool head design for flexible and multi-material upgrades.

Aside from that, we also started reselling both the TAZ 6 and the Lulzbot Mini in Europe.

You can find more information about these great additions to our webshop here, as well as Richard Horne (RichRap) and Joel Telling’s (3D Printing Nerd) review videos.

Both the Lulzbot Mini and TAZ 6 have free shipping in Europe and two free spools of nGen filament! You can order online now.

Why do we add two free spools of nGen with these printers? Because they are a perfect fit. And we want to make sure that everybody who purchases a Lulzbot printer knows it too!

nGen has proven itself to be a very versatile material that can be used for a lot of applications, visual prototyping being one of them! It has become our default, all-round filament for printing all sorts of prototypes and prints just have to look damn good!

And again, no support was used for this print.

nGen is an all-round filament which has many advantages over PLA. The temperature resistance is over 80 degrees C and it works on most printers with a heated build plate.  nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range.

With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle—even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste. You can find more information on our dedicated landing page.

Ever since launching in november 2015 (and later in a big way during the CES Show early 2016), nGen has been a bestseller and a material that has been adopted by users worldwide very rapidly.

nGen is available through our webshop and our network of distributors and resellers worldwide as well as our partner Lulzbot.

nGen is made with Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer AM3300. It is part of our range of Amphora based filaments. Other grades are: engineering grade colorFabb_XT, high temperature resistant colorFabb_HT and semi-flexible nGen_FLEX. With Amphora, items can be created that are more functional, more durable, more efficient, and attractive.

You can find more about what co-polyesters are by clicking here or check the table below how the rigid filaments compare to ABS and PLA:

Moveo upgrade

A project we have been working on for quite some time now is the Moveo Robotic Arm by BCN 3D Technologies in Barcelona. It is a great project which we already teased in November and December.

Original design: https://www.bcn3dtechnologies.com/en/bcn3d-moveo-the-future-of-learning/

Almost a month ago, during the RapidPro in Veldhoven, we showed the functional arm to the audiences of that show:

But this project is far from finished. We have decided to upgrade the robotic arm with some new parts:

The parts we printed on the Stacker S2 are:

Mantis Gripper by 4ndreas (Andreas Hölldorfer – http://chaozlabs.blogspot.nl/)
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1480408

Moveo Adaptor plate for Mantis Gripper by drmaettu
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1783754

Moveo 5th axis body piece to replace current print.
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:1693444

The Mantis gripper allows for a more versatile grip for the Moveo robot arm and it looks cool. Andreas even has the gripper picking up a full mug of coffee on his YouTube video in his blog:

And that’s exactly what we need here at colorFabb: More efficient ways to get our coffee! Using the Adaptor plate designed by drmaettu we should be able to mount it easily to the Moveo Robot arm.

We will write a final and complete blog post on the entire project soon.

As with the previous parts, we have printed with colorFabb_XT Yellow and Dark Gray.

Our range of Amphora based co-polyesters are perfectly suited for a project like this. In 2014 colorFabb teamed up with Eastman Chemical Company to develop unique grades of co-polyesters suited for 3D printing. Eastman Amphora™ 3D polymer are a low-odor, styrene-free choice that is uniquely suited for 3D printing applications. With Amphora, items can be created that are more functional, more durable, more efficient, and attractive.

So far we have launched four grades, starting with colorFabb_XT in 2014, which is a fantastic functional engineering material. Late 2015 we follow this up with nGen, our next Generation general purpose filament and a drop in replacement for PLA. A wide processing window and perfect reliability make this filament a very popular one in our portfolio.

In 2016 we followed that up with colorFabb_HT, a high-temperature resistant filament that allows for functional engineering projects that need lasting parts. Half a year ago at the TCT Show in Birmingham we introduced nGen_FLEX to the market, a flexible filament with a Shora A hardness of 95 allowing for functional and flexible parts to be printed.

More information can be found in the blog we wrote about co-polyesters last summer.

You can find our entire portfolio of co-polyesters in our webshop or via our distributors and resellers worldwide.

We printed these parts on the brand new Stacker S2. The S2 is still available on Kickstarter, but only for a few more hours.

colorFabb is proud partner of Stacker and official distributor for the EMEA region. At colorFabb we have been extensively testing with both the S2 and S4 in our print lab with our entire range of filaments. What makes this printer so different from the rest? First of all, it is based on the technology that has made the Stacker S4 such a success.

You can also expect the following:

  • Copy mode for printing two objects at once for 2X print speeds
  • Dual print heads can be offset to prevent the idle head from dripping on the print when not in use to achieve super clean dual material prints
  • Large build volume: 395mm (X) axis, 325mm (Y) axis, 525mm (Z) Axis
  • Built-in mobile base, essential for EDU and work groups
  • Superior print quality
  • STACKER designed and manufactured hot ends and filament drives produce a superior finish, and work with all filaments, including flexible and metal filled
  • Uses 1.75mm filament for high-speed printing.
  • Quick change nozzles in a range of sizes from .25mm to 1mm
  • Comes with a single license of Simplify3D slicing software
  • Includes a sheet of BuildTak print bed surface but will accept glass

Although the Kickstarter pledges will be delivered in May / June of this year, you can already pre-order the S2 through us, as the official Stacker distributor in the EMEA region, or Stacker itself. Delivery of the pre-order printers will be in April. Get your quote now!

 

Spherical roller bearing

Late last year we discovered in our printlab a golden combination: nGen on the Leapfrog HS. Our all-round 3D printing filament performed remarkably well on the printer and today’s print is another great example:

Design: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2093991

Spherical roller bearing  is designed by Filip Sjöö a.k.a. filiptheking, the Swedish mechanical engineer that likes to create stuff.

As said, the print was made on the Leapfrog HS at a 0.2mm layer height. Look at the stunning details of this print:

nGen is one of our most successful materials. It was developed with Eastman Chemical Company and based on their AM3300 co-polyester. After launching it almost a year and half ago, it has been widely adopted by 3D printer users all over the world as a go to material and replacement for PLA. You can find all information you are looking for on our dedicated landing page.

Earlier prints we made on the Leapfrog HS are:

nGen is made from Eastman Amphora™ AM3300 3D polymer. Like colorFabb_XT, colorFabb_HT and nGen_FLEX, it is part of Eastman’s Amphora range of copolyesters for 3D printing. Find more about co-polyesters, what they are and what the advantages are by visiting our previous blog.

nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range. With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle—even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste.

But there is more…

Do you have a Leapfrog HS and want to try nGen? Now is your chance! We partnered with Leapfrog to offer a unique deal for Leapfrog users: 15% discount on nGen filaments in our webshop!

This is how it works: Leapfrog has sent out an email to all its subscribers with a unique discount code that can be used on our site. This discount code should be entered when checking out and can be used up to 5 times per code. The discount only applies to nGen filaments.

Did you not get this email? Check your spam folder for yesterday’s (Thursday March 23rd) Leapfrog Newsletter.

Still having problems? Contact Leapfrog for more information and your personal discount code.

woodFill on the Lulzbot Mini

Last week we announced our partnership with Aleph Objects and became official reseller of their line of 3D printers.

The Lulzbot Mini has proven itself to be an extremely reliable and easy to use printer in our printlab. We have two now ourselves and see a wide range of our materials printing with stunning results. We have of course printed a lot with nGen on this printer, but also our woodFill shows how beautiful prints can look on the Lulzbot Mini.

Design accreditations:

3D Benchy by Creative Tools: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:763622

Rocktopus – Meet rocktopus, the mascot of the all-new LulzBot Mini desktop 3D printer made by Aleph Objects, Inc. in Loveland, Colorado, USA:  https://www.lulzbot.com/content/meet-rocktopus

Stealth Birdhouse by Steve Wood a.k.a. Gyrobot: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:108892

Voronoi Klein Bottle by Robert Woodhead a.k.a. MadOverlord

woodFill was launched exactly 3 years ago this month during the London 3D Print Show and was our first special filament. Other natural filled special filaments have followed, like bambooFill (which we recently discontinued) and more recently corkFill. our woodFill has been a hit from day one due to easy processing and its fantastic looks. Added bonus is that your print room smells like a wood shop when printing with woodFill.

As from this week we became an official reseller for Lulzbot 3D printers. Both the Lulzbot Mini and its bigger sibling, the Lulzbot TAZ6, are available at colorFabb. We have been working with Aleph Objects, the Colorado based producer of the Lulzbot printers, for quite some time now and know them to bring quality products to the market.

LulzBot is a product line of Aleph Objects, Inc., a Free Software, Libre Innovation, and Open Source Hardware company. Aleph Objects was founded in January 2011 and headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, USA, where they develop, manufacture, and support their products. Aleph Objects was recently named the Fastest-Growing Privately Held Computer Hardware Company in the U.S., ranked at no. 122 in Inc. Magazine’s list of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the United States.

woodFill is available in our webshop. You can find a handy tutorial here.

We have brought back the XL woodFill spool, which you can buy in 2.85mm. If you are interested in the 1.75mm variety, please drop us a line: sales@colorfabb.com

Lulzbot printers available at colorFabb!

We are proud to announce that we are now official Lulzbot resellers in Europe. Both the Lulzbot Mini and Lulzbot TAZ 6 are available in our webshop.

Both the Mini and the TAZ 6 are very well known in North America and they are now ready to take on Europe! We have been printing with the Mini and TAZ 6 in our print lab for quite some time and you may know that Aleph Objects, producer of the Lulzbot printers, also sells our filaments in the US.

We love printing on the Lulzbot printers. We are confident that they offer added value to our customers looking for a great and reliable printer.

LulzBot is a product line of Aleph Objects, Inc., a Free Software, Libre Innovation, and Open Source Hardware company. Aleph Objects was founded in January 2011 and headquartered in Loveland, Colorado, USA, where they develop, manufacture, and support their products. Aleph Objects was recently named the Fastest-Growing Privately Held Computer Hardware Company in the U.S., ranked at no. 122 in Inc. Magazine’s list of the fastest-growing privately-held companies in the United States.

Lulzbot Mini

The LulzBot Mini was built to work out of the box, with no complicated assembly process getting in the way of you creating. Operating the Mini is the same- straightforward software, easy to read documentation and an army of LulzBot enthusiasts eager to help out people getting started. This printer is not only easy. you will still find flexible, industrial strength capacity from this machine.

Read Make Magazine’s review of the Lulzbot Mini here.

The Lulzbot Mini is now available in our webshop at € 1.573 including VAT / € 1.300 excluding VAT.

 

Lulzbot TAZ 6

Engineers, designers, educators, and makers agree: The LulzBot TAZ 6 is the most reliable, easiest-to-use desktop 3D printer ever, featuring innovative self-leveling and self-cleaning, and a modular tool head design for flexible and multi-material upgrades. With proven 3D printing technology and one of the largest print volumes in its class, the LulzBot TAZ 6 is ready to work.

3D printing is more reliable than ever with the integrated automatic bed leveling system, all metal LulzBot v2 Hot End, and heated PEI print surface.  With the all metal hot end, you can take advantage of the cutting edge market for new materials. Perfect for both large and small objects, the heated PEI build surface keeps your 3D printed objects in place when hot and releases when cool. With Cura LulzBot Edition, you have hundreds of quickprint profiles built in for seamless 3D printing.

The Lulzbot TAZ 6 is now available in our webshop at € 3.025 including VAT / € 2.500 excluding VAT.

Not sold yet? The TAZ 6 was recently reviewed by Richard Horne (RichRap) and Joel Telling (3DPrintingNerd). See their videos below:

You can find Richard’s full blog here.

And of course Joel Telling‘s review:

Richard and Joel have convinced you, we’re sure, but we’ll throw in a bit more:

  • free shipping in Europe
  • 2 (two!) free spools of our nGen filament!

This all-round filament was released a little over a year ago. The big launch of nGen was at the CES 2016 in Las Vegas together with Lulzbot. This filament works like a dream on the Lulzbot printers.

It is has many advantages over, say, a PLA. The temperature resistance is over 80 degrees C and it works on most printers with a heated build plate.

nGen is a low-odor, styrene-free material uniquely suited for 3D printing enthusiasts, particularly those who need the flexibility to print within a wide processing temperature range. With nGen you will have good flow properties through the printer nozzle—even at lower temperatures than some other polymers require. These properties make nGen more workable at a wider breadth of temperatures, producing reliable results and resulting in less waste. Visual prototyping has never been better than with nGen.

nGen is available in our webshop, through Lulzbot and our distributor network worldwide.

You can find more about what co-polyesters are by clicking here.